(Seychelles News Agency) - The Seychellois lawyer and human rights activist Alexia Amesbury was elected to the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights on Friday, said State House.

Her candidacy was endorsed by the government of Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean.  

Amesbury was elected by 33 votes against 12 during the commission assembly in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

In her reaction to SNA on Friday, Amesbury said, "A continent has done me proud so I can make my country proud."

Amesbury, 68, said she was looking forward to the task ahead "which only a person with passion and determination can do."

President Danny Faure has conveyed his congratulations to Amesbury on her election to this important institution and wished her every success.

The African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights was established under the African Charter also known as the Banjul Charter which is an international human rights instrument intended to promote and protect human rights and basic freedoms in the African continent.

The Commission was inaugurated in 1987 and has three major functions: the protection of human and peoples' rights, the promotion of human and peoples' rights, and the interpretation of the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights.

Amesbury is renowned in Seychelles for her works as a human rights activist. As a lawyer, she is a strong advocate for social justice and humane treatment of every person. She also advocates for prisoners' rights.

She was also the island nation's first female presidential candidate in 2015 when she represented the party she founded -- Seychelles Party for Social Justice and Democracy (SPSD).